Elimination
by Thomas Riley
Summary: After everything that has happened, it makes you wonder... What happened to everyone else? This story continues Resident Evil, with new characters, and a new story. Everyone with their own goal, but one most important: Elimination of the T-virus.
1. New York: Part 1

Chapter 1 – New York Part I

The night sky seemed to have a red pall as Dave and Devin began to pack up their weapons. Dave's eyes seemed to wander over the area once known as Times Square, now deserted. Any survivors would have either been picked up or become a snack for some mutated creature. Devin walked over to Dave, and shared his gaze.

"Hard to believe that a year ago I could've taken a train here. The lights, the crowds… It seems so far away."

Devin glanced at Dave. They had had a hard time since being separated from the military outfit they had linked up with. They had been cornered by a large group of zombies, but with some C4 and clever strategy, Devin had created an escape route. The seven remaining soldiers had stayed behind for only-god-knows-what-reason. The pair had been traveling at night, trying to sleep during the day, when most zombies wandered aimlessly, and with the smell of rotting flesh intensified by the hot summer sun, even the mutated creatures with a better sense of smell than a shark would not be able to find them.

So, fully rested and weapons loaded, Dave led the way through the streets. They traveled quickly, only stopping if they discovered an area that may contain some food. Food was one of the most difficult things to find. You'd think it'd be easy, with barely any normal people left and zombies preferring flesh over a sandwich; but many buildings were already cleared out.

Dave moved swiftly, his M4A1 Carbine in his hands. He preferred the gun for its firepower and excellent performance in close quarters. On his hip he wore one of his favorites, the Smith & Wesson Model 29. The pistol's kick was easy for him to handle, and its ability to separate a zombies head from its shoulders at medium range made him smile. On his back was a simple double-barrel shotgun, 12 gauge. He had discovered it inside of an old farmhouse when they were part of the military convoy. Lastly, Dave carried plenty of C4 and fragmentation grenades with him at all times.

Devin followed about ten feet behind at all times, watching the rooftops with his M40A3 rifle. He loved the weapons range, and usually scouted the area around Dave when searching a large complex. His accuracy at extreme distances was astounding, especially with the lack of a spotter. Inside of two shoulder holsters, Devin carried a pair of Berretta M9 pistols. These semi-automatic weapons were accurate, and with the hollow-point rounds Devin kept them loaded with, they we're extremely effective against zombies. Inside of his backpack, Devin carried his laptop, which he used to keep a journal of their travels, and to hack any security cameras, doors, and computers they came across.

The average survival rating of any human inside of a city swarmed with undead was about a day and a half, maybe two. Dave had previous military training with the Army Rangers, while Devin had simply been a technology major. Dave had been training Devin since they first met in Rochester, New York, back in May. Dave's friend had detached from Dave and went with another group of Army that was headed west. Dave stayed behind for a reason that he wouldn't divulge to anyone. He kept to himself, and just made sure that everyone with him stayed alive.

"Hold up… Got movement on the rooftops."

Dave stopped and crouched, keeping an eye on the road ahead. Devin stayed low, moving toward a car near the side of the road. He set his rifle on the hood of the car and aimed up. Staying steady, he re-scanned the rooftop. He saw it again. A flash, something reflective. Then, a burst of gunfire raked the hood of the car in front of him. Dave dove for cover behind a concrete post and fired up, hitting the open air just above the roof. The gunfire stopped. Dave ran up to the wall next to an old fire escape on the side of the building. Devin followed. They stepped cautiously, Devin in the lead as he searched for any tripwires. They had lost a marine to a group of crazy survivors who had planted claymores in a supermarket.

When they finally reached the roof, Dave stepped out first, M4 raised. The roof was empty, minus a dark shape lying on the ground near the edge of the roof. Dave pointed, and Devin circled around, drawing his M9's and began searching the rest of the roof. Dave walked slowly towards the figure, keeping his weapon raised. He reached it, and kicked. Hard. It didn't move. He reached down and flipped him over. He was human. Another one of the crazed survivors had apparently been shooting at him. Dave checked for a pulse.

"What the…"

The man opened his eyes and jumped up, grabbing Dave's shoulders and throwing him toward the edge of the roof. Dave's belt caught the man's shirt and took the other man over the edge with him.

"Shit-DAVE!"

Devin sprinted to the edge and looked over. The two had landed inside of a dumpster on the street. Devin went back down the fire escape and pulled Dave out of the dumpster. After being pulled out, Dave stood up and brushed some trash off his shirt.

"Bitch. Thought he could surprise me."

"I think he did."

"Eh, who asked you?"

Devin smiled and checked his watch.

"We just lost about 20 minutes. We need to move."

"Yeah. Something was bound to hear those shots."

_Continues in New York – Part II_


	2. New York: Part 2

Chapter – New York Part II

Devin loaded the round he had spent in the survivor's direction and took the lead, moving quickly. Dave followed a few feet behind, not bothering to check corners. They had a plan to reach the opposite side of the city tonight. Those twenty minutes, if they ran into more zombies, could cost them. The days in the city were pure hell. Devin reached a partially destroyed wall and stopped. He held up a hand and Dave stopped at the wall with him. Both breathing heavily, they glanced over the wall. A military humvee sat in the middle of the street, unoccupied.  
>Dave checked his gun, waited for a second, then nodded. They jumped over the wall and sprinted for the vehicle. Devin jumped on the hood and scanned the area all around them. Dave threw open each door, checking the inside. A .50 caliber machine gun with a large box of ammunition sat on the floor below the open gun port.<p>

Dave smiled. "Jackpot."

Outside, Devin froze his scope on a diner across the way. He saw something. He knew he did. He evened his breathing and stared at each individual window, waiting. Then, a large, bulky shadow appeared behind the window. Devin turned his head slightly to the left.

"Dave… Hurry the hell up. We got a problem."

"What's up?"

"I got movement in the diner. Something big."

CRASH!

The diner windows and a large chunk of the wall shattered in front of them. They could not see through the smoke. Suddenly, a large figure appeared through the smoke. About eight feet tall and over two tons, the creature in front of them was responsible for the deaths of about 15 of the marines they had been with before they were able to kill it.

` "SHIT!"

Devin opened fire with his rifle, putting every round in the gun into the creature's face. It didn't react, but kept moving towards them, the blood coating its body a strong warning of things to come. After draining his rifle, Devin pulled out his pistols and put every round he had into the abomination. Then, Dave stood up out of the gun port, the .50 in his hand.

"Get the fuck outta the way!"

Devin dropped and rolled off of the hood, landing on his feet. Dave opened fire with the fifty, putting about a dozen rounds into the creature before it decided to go back inside the diner.

"Devin, get some C4 from my bag!"

"I thought we were taking the humvee?" Devin replied, understanding his idea.

"I think it'd make a better present for our new friend."

Dave continued to fire inside of the diner, the sprays of liquid a sure sign he was hitting _something_. Devin opened Dave's bag and pulled out several brick sized chunks of C4. He did a quick survey of the inside of the humvee, picked the weakest points, and then began to plant the high explosive.

Eventually, Dave had to stop firing. He couldn't feel his hands from the constant vibration of the gun, and he was almost out of ammo.

"Finished"

"Alright, get on the fifty. I'm gonna check the diner."

Dave jumps out of the gun port and moves cautiously towards the diner. Devin gets set in the gun, and double-checks around him. His ears rung a little from the .50 volume, but he would be fine. Not much you could do about it at this point.

Dave reached the diner's broken wall and turned on his tactical light, a piece of equipment they always tripled checked. The light had saved their lives many times. Inside the room was a scene out of a horror movie. Blood covered the walls, and mutilated body parts were spread around the room. He heard heavy breathing, and looked to his left. The creature, bloody and weak, was lying down. Dave shook his head.

"Thought this would be more difficult."

Dave pulled the pin on a grenade a rolled it under the creature's legs and ran out. The grenade detonated, taking half of the diner with it. Dave walked over to the humvee and opened the driver's side door.

"Get the C4 back in my bag. Looks like we got lucky."

"I don't think luck had anything to do with it Rambo."

"Shut the hell up."

Devin laughed and ducked back into the gun port, and began working carefully with the C4. Dave rested his head, and closed his eyes. Another day, another kill, another partially gas-filled vehicle. Dave opened his eyes again and began to try to hotwire the humvee, but looked up when a large concrete block landed near the front of the humvee. The creature, head and lower body bloodied, stood in front of the humvee, breathing heavily. It raised it's arms…

"SHIT!"

Dave threw the door open and jumped out as the fists came down, smashing the front of the humvee.

"Let's go! Leave the C4! Back to the original plan!"

"Got it."

Devin jumps out the back of the humvee and starts running. Dave sprints and quickly catches up to him. The large creature glances around the front of the humvee, sees his next decorative objects running away, and screams. It jumps over the humvee, landing on the opposite side.

"NOW!"

Devin flips the switch, and the C4 inside the back of the humvee detonated. The creature's body was instantly torn apart by shrapnel and fire. Devin ducked behind a concrete barrier and Dave jumped behind a car. The heat finally passed, and Devin looked up. The creature was in pieces around the now destroyed humvee.

"Well, there goes another twenty minutes."

_Continued in New York Part III_


	3. New York: Part 3

Chapter – New York Part III

The sun was beginning to rise over the smaller buildings in this area of New York. Dave and Devin stopped keeping track of where they were and focused on moving forward. They were drenched with sweat, and light-headedness became common. They knew it was time to stop.

"Damn… how far do you think we've gone?"

"Around ten miles. We still have another night if we're gonna get out of the city."

Dave motioned to an old apartment building with his head, and the two of them walked inside. They cleared the building, taking about an hour to do so. They found a room with not so much blood and set up their traps. Claymores, fragmentation grenades with some fishing lines; things that would be loud enough to wake them up and take some of the bastards with them.

They settled in, and fell into a deep sleep.

Ace ran, searching the street for any signs of life. His rifle in his hands felt light, and he was breathing heavily. Finally, he reached their rendezvous point. Echo team should be here any second.

_Where are they?_

Then he saw them. The four of them were running, almost sprinting, towards him. Archer, Demon, X, and Blaze. They ran by him, and X stopped in front of him.

"What's going on?"

X, breathing heavily, replied in short gasps.

"We… got a whole… lot of them… headed our way."

Ace turned away, thinking about their options. Then he decided.

"We stay."

"What are you talking about? We won't last five minutes!"

"The military is already supporting this area. We have to hold out until they get here."

X sighed, then loaded a fresh magazine into his sniper rifle.

"Fine. Let's do it."

They set up behind their makeshift barriers, the five of them breathing evenly now. They waited, and when the first zombie came over the crest of the small hill, Ace's expression hardened.

"Kill them all."

The men opened fire.

"Hot zone. Weapons free."

Dave woke with a start. Again. The same dream. He remembers all of that… from ten years ago. They we're all kids then, playing a simple game, with their made-up codenames, their plastic guns, and their elaborate storylines. Except it wasn't a game anymore. He wondered what happened to all of them. Caleb; Ryan; Evan. All probably dead. They we're too young to receive any former military training, and he doubted they we're strong enough to be able to hold out.

Devin, on the other hand, slept peacefully. How, Dave didn't know. He told him stories about what happened back in the west. He had lost his family in the initial attack. The only thing he really had left to hold on to was some girl, who he rarely spoke of. She had taken a vacation to Florida before the outbreak, and everyone knew that the military had set up a huge stronghold there. Any infected were quickly eliminated, and the survivors were fed, clothed, and kept safe. Life was… normal down there.

Dave stood up, and walked to the half boarded up window. He could hear them down there. Moaning as if they were in pain. All this pain; suffering; death; loss; all Umbrella's fault. There was no way to reverse the effects, but they could clean up.

Dave decided to try to get some sleep. He laid back down on the mattress, closed his eyes, and passed out.

Devin woke up to being shook violently, and his first reaction was to grab his berretta hidden under the crook of his arm. He drove the barrel into the figures neck, and he fell down, coughing. Only after that did Devin realize that it was a marine.

"Oh shit… sorry."

Devin helped the man up. Dave was laughing hysterically in the corner, and the marine on the ground stopped coughing long enough to look at Dave.

"Fuck… you."

"(Still laughing) I told him to wake you up, cause there was no way in HELL I was going to."

"So when'd he get here?"

"About twenty minutes ago. Thought I'd let you sleep a little longer."

The marine he had drilled in the throat finally regained himself, and spoke.

"I'm Jesse… Jesse Reale."

Devin looked at Dave, and he shrugged. He looked back and smiled.

"Just a word of warning: Wake me up by kicking the bed."

"Yeah, I kinda figured (coughs)."

"Alright, we need to move out. We should reach the south part of the city in a few hours and out of the city in another two."

"Well then what are we waiting for?"

The trio exited the apartment complex. The zombies had cleared out of the area, probably moving towards some other sign of life. Devin was concerned about the marine. He only carried the standard issue Berretta M9, and judging by his pouches on his vest, not much more ammo. Devin walked next to Dave, and decided to voice his concerns.

"I don't care. He's a marine, and he's an extra hand. We can use anything we can get at this point."

Jesse stayed about twenty feet back from the other two, and kept an eye on every corner they came across. He was wary. He didn't quite trust his new "Friends".

_Continued in New York – Part IV_


	4. New York: Part 4

Chapter – New York Part IV

A lone man ran down the street, sprinting as fast as he could. Behind him, a dark shape bounds off the walls, and seems to move silently. He rounds a corner and keeps running. Finally, he sees his safe haven. A door leading into a grocery store. The red sign said _Bob's Market. _He runs inside, and ducks behind one of the counters. His breath is quick, and he tries to breathe as quietly as possible. He listens, straining his ears to try to hear something – anything.

The silence around him is numbing, and as his fear slowly ebbs away, he decides to take a chance. The brown haired man carefully rose up, looking all around himself. He is alone. He takes a deep breath, then hears something. Laughing. Loud, obnoxious laughing.

"Who… Who's there?"

He looks around again, yet he is alone. The laughing is getting louder. His ears begin to hurt from the echo. He runs forward, then turns around a corner leading to the warehouse at the back of the store. He runs inside. The laughing is still getting louder. He sprints through the dimly lit room, and reaches the back wall. There is little light here. He ducks into a dark corner, and the laughing stops.

He waits, searching every corner of the room. Then, the laughing starts again. Even louder than before. He puts his hands over his ears, and a light flickers above him. Hanging from the swinging light pole is some sort of creature. Its body is all muscle, it does not have eyes, and its mouth opens and closes, almost cartoon-like, as it _laughs_ at him. The creature's teeth are large, and sharpened to a point. It drops in front of him.

"No… Please!"

The creature lets out one more laugh. The man's eardrums burst, and blood begins to pour out. His head hurts. Then, the creature lunges in for its prey.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

David drives his fist down onto the table in front of Jesse, who was reaching for the hot dog that sat in the middle of the table.

"Hey, a man's gotta eat."

"Yeah, well you put some lead into anything, let me know."

"How 'bout I put some lead in you? Sound like a plan?"

"Fuck you."

Devin laughs, leans back in the bed of the partially ripped apart truck, and takes a bite of his sandwich.

"Jesse, Dave is _real _sensitive around his food. You know how long it took us to find a hot dog package that _wasn't _spoiled?

"Four fuckin' weeks, that's how long."

Jesse turns away, and pulls out a can from his bag.

"Well, guess more canned shit for me."

"I guess so."

After the trio finished their quick meal, they set off through the streets of the city. They were almost out, and most of them would be glad to see the military perimeter. It was all smooth sailing from here. Dave, however, missed the daily monotony of shooting countless undead. Most of these bastards deserved it anyway. Dave stayed in the front, cradling his M4 in his arms, with Devin in the middle, his rifle checking the rooftops. Jesse, however, still hung back fairly far, with his pistol raised at all times.

"What do you think happened to the rest of his squad?"

"Not sure. Most of them are probably face down in some gutter. We've lost a lot of people out here."

After another few hours, the group was almost to the edge of the city. Dave looked at the bright red sign before them.

"Bob's Market, eh? I've seen worse."

"Really? Enlighten me."

"A porn shop entitled, _Wet Dreams_."

"Forget I asked."

"Devin, find a way onto the roof. Keep an eye out. Jesse, let's clear the place."

"Why do I always get watch duty?"

"You've got the rifle dumbass."

"Oh… Yeah."

Devin smiled and hopped up on a dumpster, and began making his way to the roof. Dave and Jesse walked inside, weapons raised. Dave pulled his shotgun off his back and handed it to Jesse.

"Here, this might be a little more appropriate."

"Thanks."

Row by row, Dave and Jesse cleared the store. It was empty, except for some spoiled produce and meat.

"Clear."

"Clear."

"I got nothing."

"Hold on. Looks likes there's a storage area in the back. Let's check it out."

Dave and Jesse walked inside. They had already wasted twenty minutes. It would be dark in a few hours.

Devin sat on the roof, scanning for any sign of life. He saw a small group of zombies ambling down the road, but away from them. Devin moved his scope towards the military perimeter. Maybe he could see it from here.

"What the…"

Devin checked his scope again. He wasn't hallucinating, but he hoped he was.

"God damnit."

He reached for his radio.

"Dave, we got a problem."

Back in the warehouse, Dave's radio crackled to life, but was slightly fuzzy.

"Come again? Missed that."

"I said, we-"

Dave couldn't hear what he said after that, because a loud, high pitched laugh filled the room. Dave instantly dropped the radio and raised his gun.

"What the _FUCK _was that?"

Jesse was silent, and began to sweep every corner of the room with his weapon. The laughing was getting louder, almost intolerable. Dave shook his head, and kept searching the room. He made sure to check the walls and roof too. Lickers loved those. Jesse, however, was having trouble. His vision began to become blurry as the laughing grew louder, and his head hurt.

"Ah… Shit."

"What's wrong?"

"My head… Fuckin' hurts."

Out of nowhere, something flew from across the room and slammed into Jesse, sending him flying into a set of boxes. He didn't get up. Dave opened fire at the fleshy thing pouncing from wall to wall, and saw splashes of blood as a few rounds connected. The laughing had stopped, and all was quiet again. Dave moved quickly towards Jesse, but was knocked over by the thing he had been shooting at. It hit his legs, sending him really. His rifle slid underneath a shelf.

"Damnit!"

Jesse still wasn't moving, and the creature had vanished again. The laughing had started again. High pitched. Coming from… where?

"Where the fuck are you?"

Dave pulled out his Smith and Wesson, and continued to search the room. Jesse groaned, but stayed still. Suddenly, Devin ran inside the room, rifle raised.

"What the hell is going on?"

"I don't know. Something's in here with us."

Devin looked around, trying to find the source of the laughter. Then they saw it. The thing was walking towards them down one of the passages. The lights above flickered on and off. Its mouth was open; its muscle covered body moving one step at a time. Its face seemed unreal, like a hallucination or a cartoon. Something right out of a nightmare. It was laughing at them. Dave was the first to fire.

"I'll teach you to taunt us you cocky SOB."

The blasts of fire from his Model 29 prompted Devin to do the same, and they both fired. Rounds poured down the passage, but each time the light flickered, it seemed to have moved. They couldn't spot it long enough to hit it. Finally, it pounced. Its large claws slashed Devin, sending him into a wall. Dave was charged head on, while reloading. It hit him in the chest. Dave flew back and finally stopped across the room, leaning against a shelf. His hand slid underneath it.

The creature stood for a second, examining its handiwork, then moved towards Dave. It took long, silent steps. Almost like a cat. It stopped, and hovered over Dave's body for a second, then opened its mouth.

"HA-"

The creature's laugh was cut short as Dave pulled his M4 out from under the shelf and opened fire. The creature took several rounds before knocking the weapon away. Dave reached for his knife, but the creature pinned him down. Dave took a deep breath, and stared at the creature's eyeless face.

"Ooh-Rah, motherfucker."

The thing turned, and received two barrels from Dave's shotgun, courtesy of Jesse. It fell over, the hole in its head large enough to fit a car tire. Jesse reached over and helped Dave up.

"Thanks."

"Eh, thought you could use some help."

"Being useless most of the time isn't very helpful."

"Fuck- "

He was cut off by a cough on the other side of the room. They both looked to see Devin lying there. There was a pool around him.

"Shit. Devin!"

They ran over. Dave helped him sit up. The creature's claws had slashed deep, and went straight through his armor.

"Hey guys, what took you so long?"

"You need a doctor. Now."

"Gonna be kinda hard…"

"What do you mean?"

"Have a look –cough–"

Devin held up his camera. The picture was of the military blockade. Abandoned. There was undead everywhere.

"No…"

"Damnit."

"Well we still need to move. At least find some medical supplies. We past a hospital a few miles back. We need to go back."

"Are you fucking insane? There's undead everywhere! We won't make it before nightfall, especially as bruised up as we are now!"

"Then I'll go alone. Stay here with Devin."

"That's an even more stupid idea."

"Well I don't see anyone else volunteering. Oh how about Bob? Oh wait, he's probably DEAD!"

"Guys… Both of you go. I'll be fine. I got my guns. You just go find me some fuckin' morphine…"

"You sure?"

"Yeah… but hurry back."

Dave and Jesse walked out of the store, and moved quickly. Dave was hesitant. Even after he saved his life, he still didn't fully trust Jesse.

"If you don't mind me asking, who'd you serve with?"

"First Recon. Been with 'em for several years."

"Yeah. Possibly best decision I ever made. Honor, Perseverance, and Spirit. Three things they taught us that I've used even in this hell."

Dave stopped, and swung his rifle around, aiming it directly at Jesse's face.

"Who the _FUCK_ are you?"

Continued in _Jesse_


	5. Jesse

Chapter 5 – Jesse

"Reale! Get your ass over here now!"

Private first class Jesse Reale ran over to his commanding officer.

"Sir."

"We have a large group of B.O.W.'s headed this way. Tell Jones that your squad is to hold the bridge to the north."

[B.O.W. – Bio Organic Weapon. The term for any and all creatures created by the Umbrella Corporations experiments.]

"Yes sir."

Ever since Jesse joined the army, about a year before the initial outbreak, life had been nothing but hell. He was lucky to survive the initial outbreak in L.A., and after that they shipped him up north, to some facility in the Arklay Mountains. He had lost a lot of men up there. He was still only a PFC because of the lack of rounds he had actually fired at zombies. He was pushed into the army by his father, and never really wanted to fight.

However, after seeing what the creatures did to his squad up in the mountains, he changed his tone right quick. He wouldn't let one of the bastards out alive. Jesse walked into his squads tent right as one of his squad mates and good friends, Sydney Long, was dealing out cards. She was an expert marksman, and rarely missed.

"Good to see ya. Just starting a game of five-card. You in?"

"We got orders to cover the northern bridge."

"What? Why the hell can't Delta do it?"

"Delta was killed yesterday."

"Really? God Damn."

A man who had been lying on a bunk to Jesse's left stood up. Staff Sergeant Anthony Mansour.

"Well then… Check your ammo and weapons. We head out in five."

Jesse left the tent feeling weighed down with his weapons. The standard military M4 assault rifle and M9 berretta pistol, with 4 magazines for each. He met up with the rest of his squad just outside the bunker used to defend the bridge. Their squad of ten was the third best squad on the base, yet they were only given basic operations, while Alpha and Bravo team took all the interesting ones.

Anthony walked up with Sydney right next to him. Sydney carried an M21, while Anthony carried an old WW2 rifle he found on a dead body on one of their scouting missions.

"Alright listen up. These B.O.W.'s we got headed our way aren't going to make it easy for us. Intel suggests that the creatures are somehow getting smarter. We have reports of them moving faster."

"So you're saying we got running zed?"

[Zed – A combination of Zombie and Undead. The slang term used by the military.]

"Exactly. So keep your eyes peeled, and shoot anything outside of those doors that move."

Anthony pointed to the squads radio operator, Thomas Heckler, and opened the barricaded door. Thomas grabbed a radio attached to his hip.

"This is Charlie 2, we are active."

"Copy that Charlie 2. You got B.O.W.s approaching the area, first sight three minutes."

Jesse walked through the door, and watched his team take up the positions they often practiced at the range. Thomas, Jared, and Laura took the set of sandbags to the left; Sydney climbed up a steel framed tower towards the back; Jesse, Eric, Anthony, and Robert took the sandbags to the right; Jacob and Lance took the concrete barrier in the center.

They aimed their weapons down the bridge, and waited. They had set up a line of destroyed cars. It delays the zed by forcing them to climb over the barrier in order to get on the bridge.

"Hold steady boys and girls. Uncle Sam's about to kick some ass."

"Hell yeah."

Finally, they heard it. The steady moan and growls that came from the things on the other side of the cars seemed deafening, even at this distance. Eric seemed to be uncomfortable, so he shifted his stance and checked the bolt on his rifle. Sydney stood at the top of tower, standing comfortably. She pulled back on the slide, loading a round into the chamber, then aimed her rifle downrange.

"I count 200. How many mags did you grab Jacob?"

"Three. And half, from that last shootout."

"Ha. You run out, let me know."

A little humor before any situation helped relaxed everyone. Anthony kept the stock dug into his shoulder, ready for the zed. He focused, and shouted to his squad.

"Remember: every headshot is worth a buck."

"And every kill another."

"With a bonus for a twofer."

"Let's do it."

The first of the zombies began to climb over the car near the left side of the bridge.

"Charlie two… OPEN FIRE!"

"This is Charlie two, we are engaging."

Jesse squeezed the trigger, and felt the familiar kick of his rifle.

Dave circled towards the back of him, and placed his other hand on the grip of his pistol.

"Who the _fuck are_ you?"

Jesse knew that Dave was not the type of person to ask three times.

"My name is Jesse. Jesse Reale."

"You are not a marine."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Walk."

Jesse started to walk forward, Dave never taking his eyes or his pistol off of him.

The zombies dropped, in groups and one at a time. Jesse heard five quick shots in succession go off from Sydney's M21, and saw five zombies heads explode in order. More were climbing over the cars. There was too many for their squad to take out. Jesse's second magazine ran dry, and he loaded his third. Jacob stood up, holding an AT4 single-shot launcher.

"CLEAR!"

He fired, and the rocket detonated on the side of a car, sending shrapnel in every direction. A huge hole was created in the mob of undead, but it was quickly filled.

"There's no end to these bastards!"

The small squad of army troops continued to fire, but to no avail. More zombies continued to pour over the barricade.

"Base this is Charlie two we are heavily outnumbered. We need assistance over."

"Roger that Charlie two. We have an AH-1 inbound."

"We're getting a cobra guys!"

"Keep up the fire!"

Jesse continued to walk. Dave had been silent for a few minutes. Jesse wasn't sure what was going on, but he would soon find out.

"Honor, Perseverance, and Spirit."

"What about it Dave?"

"You don't know? Every Force Recon man knows that there are four, not three."

"Four what?"

"Honor, Perseverance, Spirit, _and heart_. Any recon marine knows that. Yet somehow, you forgot."

"I've been through hell in the past few weeks. The creed isn't the first thing on my mind."

They kept walking, and eventually reached the outside of the hospital. Dave told Jesse to stop and turn around.

"It's almost dark. I want the whole story, and I want the truth. Now."

The team continued to fire at the zombies, their gun barrels hot.

"Charlie two, stand clear of the bridge, we are rolling in with the 7s."

"Here we go!"

Two AH-1 Cobra helicopters flew into position off the side of the bridge and opened fire with their XM-18 7.62mm minigun pods. The bullets tore through the zombies on the bridge, leaving nothing but torn up body parts everywhere. Eventually, the bridge was clear.

"You see any more down there Yankee 1?"

"Looks clear. Nothing but goo down there 2."

"Thanks for the assist Yankee. Go ahead and head out."

The helicopters began to move out. Then, Eric yelled.

"We got larger B.O.W.s coming out from under the bridge!"

Two large, fleshy creatures climbed out from underneath the bridge. Jesse recognized them from the Arklay facility.

"Shit… Kill 'em! NOW!"

They opened fire, and the creature began to run across the bridge. Bullets hit them and sent red spray in the air, but they kept moving. One turned and ran towards the soldiers. The other jumped in the air and latched onto one of the Cobras tail.

"Yankee 2 one of them is on your tail!"

"I'll try to get him off!"

The creature clawed its way forward until it was above the cockpit, then slashed it open.

"It's above me!"

A burst of gunfire was heard coming from the cockpit, then the creature opened its mouth and shot out a long, pink tongue. The area around the helicopter was sprayed with blood, and the helicopter began to spin. Jesse grabbed the radio from Thomas.

"Yankee 1 get the hell outta here!"

The creature charged the squad and leaped at Eric. Eric sprayed at the creature, but its long pink tongue shot out before he could move. The tongue went straight through his skull and out the back.

"ERIC!"

"We can't stay close to it! Head towards the bridge!"

The soldiers hopped over the sandbags and cover and ran across the bridge. Yankee 2's helicopter was still spinning, yet somehow not really losing much altitude. The creature slashed the steel legs of Sydney's tower, and it fell. Sydney dove out and fell over the side of the bridge. She landed in the water, and tore at her equipment, trying to get it off as it pulled her down.

The squad ran, trying to reach the other side. The group was firing behind them as they ran. Thomas tripped, and fell into a pile of zombie bodies. The licker dove, and was onto him before he could stand up.

"Man down!"

"Watch out for the heli!"

The helicopter had finally begun its descent, and was headed straight for the bridge. The other licker jumped off of the doomed helicopter, and landed in front of the running squad. Jacob, focused on the other beast behind him, didn't see the creature and ran straight into its outstretched claws.

The remaining six soldiers in the center of the bridge, Jared, Laura, Jesse, Anthony, Robert, and Lance drained their last few magazines.

"I'm dry!"

"Me too!"

The group pulled out their sidearms and fired. The lickers kept coming, even with the amount of lead that they had put into both of them. One licker shot out his tongue, and sent it straight through Robert's leg.

"FUCK!"

The creature dragged him towards its waiting mouth. Laura dove, and grabbed onto Robert, pulling back. Anthony saw the helicopter slowly falling, and realized it was heading not only towards the licker – but also towards Robert and Laura.

"GET THE HELL BACK HERE LA-"

The helicopter hit, sending shrapnel and spark in every direction. The licker as disintegrated on impact. One of the broken helicopter blades cut off Robert's leg, and shrapnel peppered Laura's chest, going straight through her armor. The bridge cracked, and shattered. Concrete and rebar began to fall into the river below. Jesse felt his footing slip, and gravity began to pull the six, with possibly two dead, soldiers down into the river.

Jesse grabbed onto a section of rebar that was still in place. He shed his armor, and dropped his rifle. His team began to slide into the river.

"Grab on Anthony!"

Jesse reached out and tried to grab Anthony, but he was too far out of reach. He fell into the river, and was followed by concrete blocks. Jesse pulled himself up onto the destroyed bridge. The licker was waiting for him. It dove, and knocked Jesse down. Jessie pulled out his pistol and put an entire magazine into the creature's head. The thing finally fell limp on top of him. He shoved it off of himself, and checked his magazines. He only had two left.

"After that, I moved on. My squad was dead, and I heard after a few hours over my radio that the Army base had been overrun. There was nothing left for me. I found the Force Recon stuff on a dead marine. So, I became Corporal Jesse Reale."

"I'm sorry… I understand that losing your squad must be hard. I'm looking for someone that I lost a long time ago."

"Care to share?"

"Not now."

Dave lowered his weapon. Then walked towards the hospital doors.

"We have a job to do."

_Continued in Part V_


End file.
